Medvedev to hold meeting on employment problems

MOSCOW (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
will chair a meeting on employment problems.
Over the past several weeks the head of state has repeatedly addressed
this issue and promised to keep a close watch on unemployment rates.
"Of late we managed to reduce the unemployment rates and bring the
employment dynamics to the pre-crisis level. Nevertheless, a great number
of people remain jobless. But the main thing is that it is necessary to
learn how to manage these processes," Medvedev said.
According to the Health and Social Development Ministry, as of
February 1, 2011, around 1.607 million unemployed were officially
registered in Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov briefed the president last week
that the most difficult situation with unemployment was registered in
2009, when the total number of those jobless reached up to 9.2 percent of
the country's active population.
Medvedev praised regional employment programs that helped 200,000
people to start their own businesses and use state subsidies.
At present, such programs focus on self-employment, employment of
disabled persons and vocational retraining.
Employment in the so-called one-industry towns that made up around 200
all over the country remains high on the agenda. The head of state
instructed the government to specially control the situation in this
sector. According to the Cabinet's plans, in 2011 the unemployment rates
in these towns should reduce to 2 percent.
Earlier the Kremlin's top economic adviser, Arkady Dvorkovich,
stressed the need for drafting own development programs in one-industry
towns.